


All Dressed Up

by woodelf



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23481148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodelf/pseuds/woodelf
Summary: Belle wants to dress little Gideon up for a family photo.
Relationships: Belle & Gideon & Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	All Dressed Up

Look what I’ve got!” Belle swept into the living room, holding up what had become the very familiar-looking bag from Storybrooke’s baby and children’s boutique, The Enchanted Frog. A lime green frog wearing a yellow crown smiled cheerfully under the shop’s name. 

Rumpelstiltskin held a finger up to his lips in warning, but the little body that had been sprawled asleep on his chest was already sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

“Whoops, sorry. Did you have a good nap, Gideon?”

“Nap,” he agreed affably, putting his arms up in a clear invitation. “Mama home.”

“I am indeed.” Belle put her bag down and picked him up for a quick hug. “And I brought you a very special present, to wear when we go to get our photo taken.” She passed him back down to Rumpelstiltskin, and took something out of the bag. “What do you think?”

It was a three piece velvet suit, and Rumpel looked at it doubtfully. “Is it machine washable?”

“Yes, of course, you know I always check that now.” Belle had learned quickly that babies get _messy_ , quickly and often, and to make sure that anything she bought could be simply tossed in the washing machine. 

“It’s a pretty shade of blue,” he hedged. 

Her face fell. “You don’t like it, do you?”

“It’s not whether I like it, it’s whether Gideon will like it.”

“Why wouldn’t he? He always likes petting my velvet blouse. Feel it, Gideon.” She held it out for his inspection. “What do you think?”

Gideon touched the jacket, and stroked it approvingly. “Soff.”

“Yes, it’s very soft, isn’t it? And you’ll look like such a big boy in it!”

“He’s not yet two, Belle, he doesn’t have to look like a big boy. I just think he’ll find it restrictive, is all.” Gideon was an active toddler, and he liked clothes that were soft and comfortable and moved with him. 

“It’s only for the picture; he doesn’t have to wear it all day!” While their home was covered in photos of Gideon, they had decided it was time to get another studio portrait done of the three of them. 

“You’re probably right,” Rumpelstiltskin soothed. “Give it a wash and we’ll see.”

The shirt softened up in the wash, and Gideon had no problem with that or the elastic-waist pants. He even allowed the waistcoat to be buttoned up on him without protest. But he made it quite clear that he really didn’t want to wear the jacket and that the tie was a lost cause. 

“All right,” Belle gave in as Gideon flung the tie away from himself yet again. “You don’t have to wear the tie. And how about you don’t have to put the jacket on until we get to the studio for the pictures? As soon as we’ve had our picture taken, you can take it off again.”

“That sounds fair, Gideon, what do you think?” Rumpelstiltskin pulled his son into his lap, the boy’s face scowling and mutinous. “Do it to make Mommy happy, and we’ll get ice cream afterwards. Deal?”

Gideon considered for a moment, already knowing that word. It meant that if you did one thing, you got something else in return. The jacket was hot but the ice cream would be good and cold going down. His face relaxed. “Deal!”

“That’s my boy.” Rumpelstiltskin kissed him and stood up, lifting Gideon in his arms as he did so. “Come on, champ.”

The studio portrait came out fine, with Gideon in his jacket smiling politely, and was duly ensconced in a silver frame and displayed upon the mantle. But Rumpelstiltskin’s favourite picture of the day was the one he’d taken at the ice cream parlour, Gideon with his shirt open at the neck and grinning broadly, a large blob of chocolate ice cream that had fallen below the napkins tucked into his shirt now staining the no-longer pristine velvet waistcoat. He put that one in a frame on his desk. Even Belle had to admit it was a more realistic portrait, and hadn’t said anything at the time other than to remark that it had been inevitable, really. 

And it _had_ been machine washable, after all. 


End file.
